Making Christ Known and Loved / Gwneud i Crist Gael ei Adnabod a’i Garu
February 2026 Services and Events: Sunday and mid-week services in our churches are as usual throughout February.
Pattern of February 2026 Sunday Services:
9:30am Holy Eucharist at Coelbren
9:30am Holy Eucharist at Clydach
10:15am Holy Eucharist at Ystradgynlais
10:30am Holy Eucharist at Pontardawe
11:00am Holy Eucharist at Trebanos
3:00pm Evening Prayer 1st & 3rd Sundays, Holy Eucharist 2nd & 4th Sundays at Callwen
Please note that during this month, there will be Morning Prayer on a Sunday in some of the churches due to the number of concurrent service times.
We hope to bring news of an occasional Sunday Evening Service at St Cynog’s in due course, especially a Healing Service.
Pattern of Mid-Week Services:
Wednesdays:
10:30am Holy Eucharist at Ystradgynlais
10:30am Holy Eucharist at Clydach
8:00pm Compline Online from Coelbren via the Ministry Area Facebook page
Thursdays:
10:15am Morning Prayer at Abercrave Welfare Hall
Change to our pattern of Sunday Morning Services:
The Ministry Area Council held an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday afternoon, January 14th. 18 MAC members were in attendance, being 14 lay members and 4 clergy. Each church in the Ministry Area was represented.
At the meeting a representative from each church updated the MAC on its discussions and stated the preferences identified in recent congregational meetings.
After looking at the various options, one thing was obvious – that each church needed to hold its Sunday services at either 9.30am or 11.00am.
After full debate, two proposals were put to the MAC. The first proposal was that ‘the 5 churches in the Ministry Area who have morning services hold these at either 9:30am or 11am’.
That would mean that three of the clergy could lead five services between them. For the most part these services would be Eucharist. It was acknowledged however that during holiday times or periods of sickness lay-led services would have to take place to fill gaps in the rota.
The first proposal was voted upon and passed as follows:
14 in favour of the motion; 0 against; 4 abstentions.
In these circumstances from Sunday, 1 March St. Cynog’s service time will change from 10:15am to the new time of 9:30am. St. Peter’s Church, Pontardawe’s service time will change from 10:30am to 11:00am.
Thus the revised pattern of Sunday morning services from Sunday, 1 March will be
Capel Coelbren – 9:30am
St. Cynog’s, Ystradgynlais – 9:30am
St. Peter’s, Pontardawe – 11:00am
St. Michael’s, Trebanos – 11:00am
St. Mary’s, Clydach – 9:30am
The second proposal, to develop a group of lay leaders in our Ministry Area who will be able to lead a service of Morning Prayer, was passed unanimously.
Ministry Area Mothers’ Union: Cwm Tawe Ministry Area Mothers’ Union meets on the second Monday of each month at 2:00pm, in St Cynog’s Church Hall, Ystradgynlais. The next meeting will take place on Monday 9th February.
Church Services and Events
Ministry Area Bible Study: Our Bible Study continues on Mondays at 7:00pm in St Cynog’s Church Ystradgynlais, with the Letter to the Galatians being the particular book of the Bible being studied.
Ash Wednesday Services: There will be imposition of ashes at the Wednesday morning Eucharists at Ystradgynlais and Clydach on February 18th as part marking the beginning of Lent this year.
Meditative Service: Rev’d Sue Northcott will be resuming our monthly Meditative Service, which will take place on the third Friday of the month. The next of these services takes place on Friday 20th February at 5:00pm in St Michael’s Trebanos. The services use the structure of Evening Prayer, with some meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Community Events
Singalong: Pontardawe Heritage Centre holds their next Singalong event on Wednesday 4th February at 10:30am. Entry is £3 per head including refreshments, with music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. This event is held on the first Wednesday of each month.
Pop-Up Coffee Shop: Pontardawe Heritage Centre will be holding their weekly pop-up coffee shop every Thursday throughout February, from 10:00am to 12:30pm. Tea, coffee, cake, and a chat will all feature!
Pontardawe Repair Café: The Repair Café is back on Saturday 14th February, from 10:30am to 12:30pm in Tŷ’r Gwrhyd, Library Building. Come along for free repairs of home and garden tools, electricals, textiles, etc.
Church Notices
Ministry Area Treasurer: We are currently looking for a Ministry Area Treasurer. This role involves managing the Ministry Area bank account and working with our church treasurers to prepare Annual Financial Returns for submission to the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon each year. This person does not need to be a churchgoer. Free online training for the role is available. If you or anyone you know is interested in this position, please contact Bethan Hewitt (contact details below) for more details.
Safeguarding: Safeguarding Training courses are available to book onto, both in-person and online courses are available. Details can be found on the Ministry Area website (Church Policies > Safeguarding). If you are unsure which Safeguarding Training you are required to undertake as part of your role, please contact Bethan Hewitt.
The Church in Wales is committed to safeguarding as an integral part of its life, mission, and ministry, and will promote the wellbeing of children and adults at risk. Therefore, if you are a volunteer for any church within our Ministry Area, or the Ministry Area itself, the CinW requires you to undertake Safeguarding Training.
Cytûn Clydach Lent Course: This year, Cytûn Clydach will be following the Church in Wales’ Lent course, “From Pancakes to Palm Crosses”. The course lasts for six weeks and will start on Monday 23rd February at St Mary’s Clydach. This first session will be at 11:00am, with following sessions rotating between churches and chapels and between morning and evening. The next session after 23rd Feb will be on Monday 2nd March at 7.00 pm at Capel y Nant, Clydach. Details of the other March venues and times will be in the March Newsletter. The course can be found online on the Church in Wales Website by hovering on the Evangelism tab and pressing the Lent 2026 link. You can either press the link to watch the video or download the written material or both.
Church in Wales Lent Book: Some people choose to read a book about the Christian faith as part of their Lenten Discipline. Some may have already seen that the Archbishop of Wales has chosen a book called ‘From Hell’s Mouth and Back’ by Trystan Owain Hughes as her Lent book for 2026.
Finding hope in our journeys is the theme of a compelling new volume that has been chosen by the Archbishop of Wales as her 2026 Lent Book.
In the book, Trystan Owain Hughes reflects on his own experience of suffering and how he clung to hope through both a gruelling 140-mile pilgrimage and a second ‘pilgrimage’ through a long recovery from a serious back injury. In case you’re wondering, Hell’s Mouth is a bay on the North Wales coast.
The author, Rev Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, is Director of Ministry Development in the Church in Wales, advising the Welsh bishops on matters of ministry and faith, and Canon Emeritus at Llandaff Cathedral. Trystan’s aim in the book, he says, is to inspire people to find hope in their lives in the run-up to Easter.
To Hell’s Mouth and Back: Pilgrimage, Suffering and Hope is published by the BRF Resources, it costs £9.99 and can be ordered online or at any good booksellers.
The Welsh-language edition is entitled Trwy’r Anialwch: Pererindod, Dioddefaint a Gobaith, it costs £9.99 also.
Pastoral Care in Ystalyfera and Ystradgynlais:
If anyone needs to arrange baptisms, weddings or funerals in Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera, as the first step please contact the Ministry Area Leader, Canon Tim Hewitt about these matters so that responding to such requests can be dealt with in a co-ordinated way. This will help avoid the risk of confusion or misunderstanding or unnecessary concern about these things. Please note that such things as baptisms, weddings and funerals can only be arranged on dates and at times which are possible for all concerned.
In terms of pastoral care generally, please contact Canon Tim Hewitt as the first port of call. Experience has taught us in the past in this Ministry Area in times of transition that hoping somebody will respond to a need without a specific person being contacted can lead to the stated need falling through the floorboards, as the saying goes, which is not the wish of anyone to see happening.
What’s Ahead
Friends of Capel Coelbren: On Saturday 21st March from 10:00am, Friends of Capel Coelbren meet at the church for a working morning: clearing leaves, gutters, gullies and paths, cleaning inside the church etc. Refreshments provided. Croeso i bawb! – All are welcome! Please note that this is a rearranged date.
Looking ahead: Our next newsletter will be our March edition. If you would like anything to be included, please contact Bethan Hewitt with the relevant details by 12:00pm on Thursday 26th February.
Ministry Area Contact Details
Ministry Area Leader & Priest in the Ministry Area:
The Rev’d Canon Tim Hewitt
01792 946948
TimothyHewitt@cinw.org.uk
Priest in the Ministry Area:
The Rev’d Gary Green
01792 862003
GaryGreen@cinw.org.uk
Assistant Clergy:
The Rev’d Jon Howard
07810 820593
JonHoward@cinw.org.uk
The Rev’d Sue Northcott
01792 863814
SueNorthcott@cinw.org.uk
Ministry Area Administrator:
Bethan Hewitt
07398 647399
BethanHewitt@cinw.org.uk
General queries:
CwmtaweMAA@cinw.org.uk
Ministry Area website:
http://www.cwmtawechurches.org
Ministry Area Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CwmTaweMinistryArea
I opened my electricity bill and my water bill at the same time. Needless to say, I had quite a shock…
Cwmtawe Churches 